Girls Track: Warriors look to progress this season

Wednesday

An indoor track meet can always feel like a bit of organized chaos, with multiple events going on at the same time in a congested field house.

However, it seems like there could be less chaos surrounding the Lincoln-Sudbury girls indoor track team this winter.

“The biggest improvements I have seen leading into this season so far is the overall communication between the whole team,” second-year coach Sean Duncan said. “Last year I was new and when you get thrown into coaching a program with 150-plus kids between two genders, sometimes it can descend into chaos quickly.

“This year, everyone has gotten on the same page a lot quicker and we've had a lot of great leadership from the upper class members of the team in getting people organized, encouraged, and into areas in which they can grow and be successful.”

With everyone on the same page and pulling their share of the rope, the Warriors appear poised for another successful season. Led by senior captains Shannon Brown, Charlotte Furman, Milly O’Brien and Birgitta Salvesen-Quinn, L-S has talent up and down its roster.

O’Brien, Ciara Conway, Sophie DeFreitas, Katherine Knightly and Meghan Garrett are all impact returners who have competed in invitational tournaments. The Warriors have a strong returning corps of hurdlers in Samantha Johansen, Carolyn Messina, Emma Segel and Sophia Proctor.

For throwers, L-S returns Bella Martinez and Kristina Troy, who both have had good moments in the early season. On the jumping side, Lauren Foreman, Audrey Herndon and Lucinda Nevils are a formidable contingent. That’s not to mention Marielle Faucher, the reigning Dual County League champion in the high jump.

“I'm not sure if I can identify any one person or group that I think is poised for a big jump, but I do feel that across the board we have a team with a lot of upside and a lot of motivation to continue to grow and progress,” Duncan said. “At the end of the season I'm sure we'll see some individuals and relays emerge that have the ability to compete at a high level but ultimately — to steal a cliché from baseball — we're just trying to get on base every time we're up to bat. If we're able to do that well sooner or later some of those are bound to turn into home runs.”

L-S also features several talented newcomers this winter, including Arianna Reith and Summer Stubblebine in running events; Grace Flanagan and Sydney Baldwin for distance; Cira Polcari, Agechi Obila and sisters Lucy and Mara Alden in sprints/jumps/hurdles.

“Overall the goals and expectations for the season always remain the same — we are always just looking for a way to provide all the kids with an environment that emphasizes healthy mind and body, consistent and progressive training, as well as a supportive and competitive atmosphere,” Duncan said. “I think as we continue to get better at providing that kind of experience for all involved we'll see a natural progression of goals and expectations that will be reflected in their results.”